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Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 11

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Back in the land of Oz with the Lost Princes of Oz, we start with a different situation than one we have had for a while. This difference, I don’t think we have seen since the real introduction of Ozma. This one was actually interesting, and I wanted to know how it would work. In essence, what if all of the OP items that these fairytale adventurers were missing? The Wizard lost all his magic items, all of Glinda’s potions and spellbooks are missing, and Ozma and her mirror are missing. In essence, we are in a completely normal journal in a completely abnormal.

I was actually interested in this book in the series for that exact reason. As soon as I know the book includes Dorothy, I usually become uninterested because she has all of these powerful people at her beck and call. Because that has all been taken away from her, I was actually interested in how this would work out for her. It was interesting because I couldn’t come up with an easy solution to the problem. This one is a good return to what was interesting about the first book, with everything up in the air.

Over the Garden Wall

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In a continuation of reading the books I probably should have as a child but didn’t get to, I recently read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Why did I not read this book before? I have no clue; I was probably busy reading something else, and I said I would get to it someday. Well, that day is now.

My thoughts are that it was really cute. I don’t know what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. What I am able to tell you is that a spoiled, now-orphaned girl gets sent to her uncle’s house, an uncle who is never present, and has to learn to live in England. While a cute story with lots of plot lines I wasn’t expecting, I will admit that half the time I had no clue what some characters were saying, as they were apparently written in a deep Yorkshire accent. I got the gist of things, but it was hard. I even tried to read out loud, and I was still lost. Unfortunately, I will not be able to read this aloud to anyone, but I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for an easy read; you don’t have to read too deeply into anything, and everything is as it seems. It was a good book to read after a really hard week of work.

Gunhead

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A guilty pleasure of mine is crime noir. They are over-the-top and dramatic. Now, while I think they should primarily be in black and white, I’ll give this anime a pass. No Gun’s Life absolutely nails the dramatic crime noir style by being dark, gritty, and having way too many internal monologues. While noirs are usually old-school crime-solving, this had a very different style. In a future where cybernetics are the norm, there is still the gruesome underground lurking about in the city. While I was expecting a general low-key styled noir, I was not expecting there to be thought-provoking disscussion.

In a world with cybernetics, there are people who support its use, those who vehemently oppose it, and those who do not know what to do. It really brings up the topic of what it means to really be human, especially when one of our protagonists has a revolver for a head. What does it mean to be a tool of the establishment? Do we have as much of a choice as we believe? Either way, this anime was filled with characters to love, characters to hate, and those to be conflicted about. My attention was grabbed the entire time.

So Bad, It’s Good: Miami Connection

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I love terrible movies: The Room, Birdemic, Velocipastor. If there is a movie with a nonsensical plot, I want to know about it and watch it. It will join my collection of lovable movies that are objectively bad but are fun to watch anyway. The next movie to join that collection is Miami Connection. And my nonsensical plot, I truly mean that as I can barely describe what happens.

We start our journey watching a cocaine deal when ninjas attack. (Yes, ninjas. Stop asking questions.) Then we end up at a club where a new band is singing, but we don’t like them for reasons. (I’m pretty sure they stole jobs, maybe…) A gang associated with the ninjas tries to drive this band off, but they all have black belts in Taekwondo and the power of friendship on their side. On top of this “plot,” the actors tried their best, and that is honestly all that I could ask of them. It’s pure 80s cheese in the best ways and a must-watch in my opinion. It is already on the list of movies I’m forcing my friends to watch so I can watch the horror and joy on their faces.

Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 10

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I don’t think I’ve ever been so ready to follow someone else in a series before. Usually, I love listening to the continual development of the characters that we have grown to love at this point. I’m so tired of Dorothy at this point that I was nearly crying with happiness when told that we would be following someone else in Rinkitink of Oz.

This time, we follow a Prince as he tries to save his parents and the people from the evil conquerors who showed up one day to capture everyone. While there is a hint of magical help, we still get to follow a boy who struggles and is constantly making mistakes, like a kid should. He was relatable and always trying to think things through. It was adorable and very somewhat engaging. I just wish there was another ending. All the characters from the most recent adventure meeting everyone from previous adventures has gotten tiring. It is about a two-to-three-chapter spectacle every time, and I’ve just stopped caring. It was cute the first couple of times, but ten books in, it’s gotten old. If only Baum’s Army of Children told him that.

Old New Machines

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I have a love-hate relationship with the classics. Some, I believe, are amazing and deserve their legendary setting in the halls of the library. Others, I’m not too sure about. This is one I’m not too sure about: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. The entire time, we are listening to a guy talk about another guy. That’s it; that’s the plot. No subterfuge or secret meanings, no analogy for something else. I was expecting a twist so badly that I thought the characters we were being spoken to about were fake the entire time, something ala Jekyll and Hyde. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It was a book about a steamboat captain taking about the atrocities of colonialism through the lens of something absolutely amazing. There was nothing else to the dehumanization of nearly everyone else, or those who wanted more money. It was just what it was, unless that was the entire point: a book about the very real perspective of colonialism from an old man who thought that was all his life would grant him as we plundered the world for more of its resources. That’s also something to think about when considering this a classic: whether the accurate depiction of a time far away is what makes it amazing.

Super Bugs Everywhere

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What if everyone had a secret bug within them? Now, I already feel the shivers running down everyone’s spines. But what if I told you it gave you superpowers? Now, that would be pretty cool. Except there’s a catch: there’s a super-secret government agency after you to prevent you from having your bug. That is the premise of Mushi-Uta. Watching this anime left me wanting more. Not only were the characters fully fleshed out, but I could understand the motivations of both “sides”: the government agents and those who wanted to keep their bugs and live in peace. I really wish there were more, but I think I’m going to have to find the light novels to get a full grasp of the story because there is definitely more there, and I want it. Unfortunately, there might not have been an official English release, but I will take whatever I can at this point. Wish me luck in this endeavor.

Along That Yellow Brick Road Pt 9

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I have journeyed back to the land of Oz and was met with utter confusion. Apparently, Baum was ordered to do something from the Army of Children, his words. This time, we were introduced to Bill and Trot because the children demanded it. Apparently, while The Scarecrow of Oz is the ninth book in the “Oz” series, it is also the third and final book in the “Trot & Cap’n Bill” series. The Army demanded to know what would happen if Trot and Bill somehow landed in Oz, and I was apparently supposed to know that another series was in production alongside. What annoyed me the most was that I was already expected to know who they were, but I suppose it wasn’t that hard. It was just another part of Oz with a girl who acts exactly like Dorothy and an elderly man who tries to keep her out of trouble. Unfortunately, it was a story that we heard before, except that the girl’s name was Trot and the man didn’t have a mysterious title. There was a talking animal, so maybe that makes up for the tired old story. Either way, it was a quick read, so it didn’t waste that much of my time, and it was okay. That’s about all I can say. It was okay.

Scientific Deja Vu

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I generally love reading a mixture of nonfiction alongside my fictional exploits: a mix of science, history, or psychology is usually my go-to. This time, I got a bit of all of it with science, military history, and philosophical conundrums with The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. I thought I was just going to get some of the uncovered documents from the Manhattan Project, as they were developing what was revolutionary technology. Instead, I got science lessons that I partially forgot. Instead of just discussing the making of the bomb, we discussed the scientific progress that led to that initial thought process. I was reading about chemical and physical theories I was pretty sure I threw into the dumpster of tests past. It is also weird learning about these scientific concepts in a historical aspect, as it seems that all these people personally knew or knew of each other: Bohr, the Curies, Fermi, and Einstein were connected and conversing with and about each other.

Overall, the book was a fantastic delve into the science of all the work that was necessary for the making of this bomb, along with some of the political exploits. As a scientist myself, it was interesting to see that science was not in a vacuum as I like to think of it; science itself was being shaped by the world around, for better or for worse. In fact, it is a deep book that does need some background knowledge of chemistry and physics to understand the intricacies, as Rhodes does not hold your hand; he throws you right in the deep end. I did end up skimming parts of the last chapter because that is where the “after” is described, and some of the descriptions from the people on site were horrific and stomach-turning. Again, science, unfortunately, does not happen in a vacuum.

Welcome 2026

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It’s a brand new year. Last year was pretty interesting. I finished grade school, and I started a job. This year, I am going to try to be more present and move forward with some of the projects that I’ve been thinking about. While I wouldn’t explicitly talk about new or old projects until I feel they’ve come to a good point where I’ll definitely finish. I’m going to see how this works. Also, as for being more present, I mean updating more regularly and maybe spending time on some social media. I’m more present on Reddit, even if I am mainly lurking. (Anything else should be in the about section.) I hope everyone has a wonderful year, and I’m looking forward to seeing what 2026 has in store with us.